A Concept Worth Fighting For
by CheeseNub
Summary: Nny, Devi and Squee find themselves in the same boat when they discover their destinies. Whatever is haunting Johnny is about to escape again, and it's up to them to save the human race. UPDATE- You asked for it, so watch for a sequel sometime in the fors
1. Todd's Place

"So, you're going soon?"   
  
"Yes. I'm almost ready."  
  
"I don't like it when you have to go, you know..."  
  
"Todd. It is not your place to say where I can and cannot go."  
  
"Yes, Shmee," the seven-year-old boy said to his teddy bear, lowering his head contritely.  
  
"And what is you place?" asked the bear, without moving his lips.  
  
"My place is to absorb and overcome traumas," the boy replied as if reciting a lesson learned at school.  
  
"Why?"  
  
"Because I am the best at it."  
  
"And..."  
  
"And that is why I am a Trauma Magnet," Todd replied. The bear spoke again, more tenderly this time.  
  
"Very good. Never forget, that is your special mission. Now I have to go," he said with finality.  
  
Todd lowered his large, dark blue eyes, and his head followed them. He was obviously displeased.  
  
"Now now, Todd. It will only be for a few hours. Go to sleep, and I'll be here in the morning."  
  
Then the bear's voice vanished, and the teddy's eyes glazed over like a dead thing's, until they were just empty, reflective buttons.  
  
"But I won't be able to," whimpered Todd to the unresponsive teddy. He hated it when Shmee had to leave, however briefly.   
  
Todd Casil was a young boy with many problems. If there were any test to evaluate parenthood, his parents would have failed miserably. His father was a stressed-out workaholic who was alternately cold and distant and violently angry, and his mother was a drugged-up alcoholic who rarely acknowledged the child. Neither had any time or inclination to care for the boy, who was constantly high-strung and lonely. But necessity forced the boy to become self-sufficient, and he did most of the housework and cooking to search for approval. But the only acceptance he found was from his teddy bear, Shmee. Since Shmee disdained Todd's parents and wouldn't talk to them, they believed that their son was crazy, and sent him to an asylum, glad for an excuse to dump him on someone. But the psychiatric evaluations could find no problems with this nervous, shy, but otherwise normal boy. They still wanted to keep him under observation, though, so he spent most of his time at his worker's house. But it was spring break, so Todd had a whole week to spend at his parents' house. Oh joy.  
  
Whimpering with loneliness, the boy buried his head in his pillow, clutching his bear tightly, and tried to fall asleep. 


	2. Of Moths And Men

Next door, a young man of 22 was attending to some business. He slunk towards his restrained victim, a man with a stupid goatee. The man had made the mistake of laughing to his friends about the "skinny little freakshow" and tripping him as he passed, but he would live to regret his mistakes.  
  
Then he would die a terrible death.  
  
"So, how are we doing today?" said the thin young man, grinning with false friendliness.   
  
"I'm glad I remembered you. Today is laundry day, and I just got back from the dry cleaners. Unfortunately, my clothes got all crumpled up on the way back. Now, this is a problem. See, it seems that there's always something about me that people interpret as different, and therefore inferior. This would imply to them that I deserve criticism." Here, he took a shirt out of his bag and put it on his victim.   
  
"And since those people have decided to show me no mercy, none shall I show them." Now he pulled a pair of pants out, and pulled them on over the man's other pair.  
  
"And certainly none shall I show you," he growled, plugging in an iron.  
  
"But one does what one can to avoid this whole unpleasant situation. Ironing my clothes will perhaps detract from my objectionable appearance. While the iron is heating up, I would like you to reflect on something. Consider a person, just any generic person, who would like to have cereal for breakfast. This person goes into his cupboard and opens the box. But as he is pouring, he senses something amiss. Now, imagine this person's horror and revulsion when he spots a larva, a larva of those fucking little grey-and-brown moths, right there in his cereal bowl. Then he finds another. And another. Soon, our person realizes that his cereal box is infested. And, to add insult to injury, a fully-grown fucking moth flies up right into his face!!" He snarled, his eyes blazing with anger and revulsion. The victim drew back in fear.  
  
"Unfortunately the man is forced to throw out his cereal, but when he looks into his cupboard, he finds something much worse." Here a cold, quiet, desperate anger filled his voice.  
  
"Moths. Grubs. Pupae. A whole colony of disgusting creatures that serve no purpose except to spoil whatever they come into contact with. Now, our person represents, of course, me. And the moths, established in his grain products, represent the masses of those feeble-minded conformist sheep who thoughtlessly ridicule anyone who is in any way different. I just can't seem to escape them. Unfortunately, you and everyone else who have passed through this way made the mistake of ridiculing the wrong person. But I digress. Back to our hero. Here he is, posed with the problem of an established colony of moths in every stage of their life cycle, breeding there in his cereal boxes. What's a person to do?" the young man asked, cocking his head expectantly, waiting for a reply from his victim.  
  
"Uhhhhhh... have... porridge?" he said. The captor's eye bugged, and for a moment he quivered in anger.  
  
"I FUCKING HATE PORRIDGE!!" he exploded. The man turned away, shaking.  
  
"FOOK!! NO, YOU IGNORAMUS! THE ANSWER IS SO CLEAR! EXTERMINATION! WHY SHOULD I HAVE TO EAT PORRIDGE WHILE THEY KEEP CONTAMINATING MY CEREAL AND TAUNTING ME FOR IT? AND YOU! TELL ME WHY YOU DESERVE ANY MERCY! TELL ME WHAT MAKES YOU SO DIFFERENT FROM EVERY OTHER FILTHY PROTO-HUMAN SACK OF WASTE THAT I'VE BROUGHT DOWN HERE?" he ranted. He pulled out a knife from his coat and advanced. Murder was in his eyes, and he prepared to slit the man's throat...  
  
Hsssssssssssssshhhhhhhhhhhh...  
  
Immediately he froze, then smacked his forehead.   
  
"What was I thinking? It's so rare to find somebody who fits my clothes. Now hold still. This may hurt a lot..." He advanced, grabbing the now steaming hot iron. A look of sadistic delight crossed his face at the man's squirming, screaming, flailing attempts to escape. He closed the gap, and pressed the scalding hot iron firmly against the man, using him as a living, breathing, screaming ironing board.  
  
After he had ironed his clothes and the victim was nothing but a bundle of cooked flesh and denatured, warped enzymes, he decided to go to the 24-7 for a brain freezy. Mmmmmmmmmmmmm. I crave freezy freeziness, he thought as he went towards the door. He glanced at the clock on the way out. It was seconds away from midnight. Good, he thought. I won't have to worry about that irritating papercut of a clerk turning off the machine. What's with paper being able to cut you, anyways? ...Inspiration!! He walked off to the door, ready for a freezy and maybe to find a victim and explore the cutting potential of paper, but a voice stopped him. He spun around but saw nothing. Still, he suddenly felt he wasn't in the mood for a brain-freezy anymore. Then the voice came back, louder, seeming to resonate from all directions:  
  
"Forty-eight hours, Johnny. Forty-eight hours and I will be free." 


	3. Human, Too

Todd was awake when Shmee came back, though he had fallen into a fitful sleep a few times. Lately Todd had been sleeping poorly, and when he did he had bad dreams. The scary neighbour man's house would rise up and grow legs, claws, teeth, and most memorable of all, long, snaking, grasping arms. Many of them. And Todd was always standing in front of it, with the scary neighbour man and someone else. Todd couldn't recognize the obscured face, but he was almost sure it was a woman. But Todd always woke up before he could find out how the dream ended. But this time Todd woke up feeling completely restless. He looked at the limp teddy bear in his arms, and suddenly there was some imperceptible change in it.  
  
"I see you're back now," Todd said. "... Is something wrong, Shmee?"  
  
"Yes, Todd. You know how I keep on telling you that my meetings are none of your concern?" asked the bear in an unsettled and unsettling voice. Todd nodded.  
  
"Well, this time, Todd, it is your concern. It touches you, and everyone else on this planet, for that matter. But I cannot tell you anything now. We have to find some people. I do so hate repeating myself," said the bear.  
  
"What people?" asked Todd.  
  
"A few other special people who, like you, have special assignments. One of them you know already, Todd. He's Johnny, the scary neighbour man. You have to go next door and bring him here," Shmee said. Todd reluctantly nodded, and grabbed Shmee.  
  
"No! Wait, Todd. I can't go over with you," the bear protested.  
  
"Why? I need you to go with me. I'm scared," said the boy, beginning to tremble.  
  
"There are evil influences over there. I dare not go into that house, or they might silence me, like they did to his guide." Todd put down the bear and forced himself to leave him on the bed.  
  
Todd crept quietly down the stairs, every sense alert, straining to see further in the dark, ears flared open to listen for the sounds of his parents rousing themselves. He even used his nose, testing the air to try to pick up his father's pungent, alcoholic aroma. Todd's dad was tricky, and had crept up on him a few times when Todd had been caught out of bed. That rarely happened anymore. Todd had learned from the neighbour man how to travel undetected, taking advantage of the dark, and by now Todd was much more agile and light-footed than any other person in his class. Todd used all of his skills as he stole down the stairs, across the room, and to the door. Waiting a minute to see if he was being followed- another lesson Johnny had taught him- Todd let himself outside. He hid in the bushes then, making sure the coast was clear (he was in no real danger, but it was good practice), he streaked across the street to his neighbour's house.  
  
"Hello?... Mr. Neighbour man? Are you here?" Todd called into the house. No response. He walked down the hallway, repeating his call to make sure Johnny knew that it was him. Suddenly Todd heard a noise. He looked into a room and saw Johnny sitting on the floor, staring at nothing in particular, shaking. The scary neighbour man, who towered over Todd when drawn up to his full five-foot-nine-inch height, was curled up against the wall, his large, slate-blue eyes- quite lighter than Todd's- were peeled open, and full of fear. Johnny's eyes were amazingly expressive.  
  
"Forty-six hours..." he muttered to himself, his voice trembling with fear. "Then it's free..."  
  
"Nny?" Todd asked, using a nickname used by the few close friends of the lonely killer. It seemed to have an effect; Johnny lifted his head up.  
  
"...Squee? Hi..." Johnny said, without turning his head. His voice was somewhat calmer, but his eyes were still wide, staring, scared. Todd understood and sympathized. He had felt that way too many times to be unable to sense it in someone else, and he knew that Johnny felt scared and helpless. Now Nny didn't seem like such a surreal monster to Todd, but a human being with emotions just like himself. Just another person you would see walking down the street, not a fanged, bloodthirsty beast lurking under his bed.  
  
"Nny.. what's wrong?" he asked the man, who shook his head.  
  
"I don't know... I heard a... a voice a while ago... it wouldn't have bothered me so much, but I've been having this dream lately... I think something bad will happen, Squee..." he replied. Todd was tempted to discuss it, but he had more pressing business to attend to.  
  
"Hey, Mr. Nny? Shmee wants you to come over," Todd asked shyly, uncertain of how he would react. Johnny's look of disbelief turned into a scary, wolfish grin.  
  
"Ah. The lying bear is inviting me over. I don't know..." Johnny said. The two hadn't exactly hit it off when they first met each other, and Nny distrusted him. But Todd had a secret weapon.  
  
"I could make some skettios..." he said.   
  
A few minutes later, Todd and Johnny were sitting in Todd's kitchen, sharing a bowl of skettios. Johnny's gaunt, angular face was radiating absolute pleasure as he slurped down the canned goodness. But not a sound did they make, because Todd's parents were still asleep upstairs. And Todd knew what light sleepers they could be. As they finished the last of their meal, Shmee spoke.  
  
"If you are quite finished..." he said sharply, before Johnny could open another can, "We have business to attend to. Two of us are here now, but we need another. We need the Luck-drainer."  
  
"Was a 'ruk-rainer'?" asked Johnny, his mouth full of raw skettio goodness from a newly opened can.  
  
"A Luck-drainer is somebody who is chosen to absorb all the bad luck they come into contact with and convert it into good luck. Just like you, Johnny, as a Waste-lock, absorb anger, hate, and sorrow, and you, Todd, as a Trauma-magnet, absorb trauma before it happens. Johnny, I know that you have met the Luck-drainer. She is somebody that you know quite well," Shmee said, mentally fixing his eyes on Johnny. He felt a sudden chill run down his spine. He couldn't mean...  
  
"Devi?... What do you need her for?" asked Johnny, suddenly becoming frantic.  
  
"I cannot tell you anything here, Johnny. We must go over to Devi's place. Only then, when we are all together, will you learn what I have to tell you. And Johnny, find the body of the rabbit. You'll need it, and we're not going back to your place until we need to." 


	4. Unwelcome Guest, Unwilling Host

Devi was lying in her bed. She had been awoken by a dream, the same dream that had woken her up every night for weeks. She remembered that it involved Johnny and his house, but little more. Shaking her head, she tried to put it out of her mind. It's just a dream, after all, she thought. She glanced over at her clock.  
  
"Damn it..." she muttered. 3:17 AM. She'd only had maybe 4 hours of sleep, and she knew she wouldn't get any more than that, she was too awake. Maybe Tenna's awake, she thought. There was no telling at what odd hours Devi's neighbour would wake up, overcome by an urge to squeak Spooky. Devi listened. Silence. Tenna was still asleep. Devi thought she could maybe start painting. Her best inspirations sometimes came at these times. But her bed was so warm and comfortable, and the air was so freaking cold, she observed, sticking her foot out from under her blanket. Mentally she put a curse on her landlord and all of his kind for stubbornly refusing to fix the air conditioning. Content now, she lay her head down, shut her eyes, and tried to fall asleep.  
  
Scrape.  
  
It was just the slightest noise, but Devi caught it. Her eyes flew open, straining to see in the dark. It was a metallic sound, such as would be made by... oh god, don't think that it's... a steel-toed boot. In that long, black, brass-buckled, cloven-toed boot, Devi mentally placed a long, thin, gangly-looking leg, and placed a twin right beside it. She tried to stop her mental imagery, but she was tugged along, unwillingly, as an equally long, thin, gangly-looking torso, cloaked in black, formed in her mind on top of the legs. Two long, thin arms materialized on either side of it, and on top, there appeared a head. A somewhat sharply- featured face was drawn on the head, dominated by two large, bright blue eyes. The head was crowned with spikes of medium-length, messy-looking jet-black hair. But Devi couldn't mentally place any expression on the face. After all, one footfall can only tell you so much.  
  
"Johnny... is that you? What do you want?" she called out into the darkness, wishing her eyes would adjust.  
  
"To finished what I started, first of all," came a thin, soft voice, devoid of any extreme emotion. Devi's face blanched in the darkness, making her stand out even more. She drew back, her jade-green eyes wide with alarm. Her eyes were beginning to adjust, and Devi could make out a shadow moving in the darkness, drawing closer to her. Devi was so terrified, all she could manage to do was to raise her arm up to shield herself and turn her head away, squeezing her eyes shut. Just go away, please, she thought. Johnny stopped when he got close to her, and studied her for a while. Her pale skin was in sharp contrast to her hair, which was becoming much darker, fading with the ravages of time and a thousand washings from its artificial fuchsia colour to its natural glossy black. It was an intermediate dark purple. Devi's eyes- Johnny's favorite feature about her- were shut tightly, but he remembered the deep green colour of them. They reminded him of an evergreen forest in the winter. Carefully taking Devi's defensively raised arm, he gently moved it down to her side. With his other hand, Johnny slowly lifted his hand to her face and cradled her chin and jaw, making sure not to exert too much pressure that she couldn't escape if the wanted to, then turned it until it faced towards him, then tilted it upwards slightly. Shit, he's going to slit my throat, Devi's mind screamed at her, but she was too paralyzed- or hypnotized- to move. Then Devi almost jumped when she felt pressure on her lips. Was that a... kiss? She felt a hesitant brushing of lips, and let it register in her brain. It was very quick, fleeting, but in that split second all of Devi's fear and anger at this man vanished. So that's what he meant, she thought. He had been the one to leave, after all, when I tried to kiss him... but he left... and...  
  
"Johnny!" yelled Devi, remembering herself. Everything, the memories, the fear, came back to her. She turned on her bedside lamp and stared at him as he stood there, rubbing his eyes.   
  
"What the fuck are you doing here in my apartment? I told you I never wanted to see you again!!!" she was almost screaming at him now. At first Johnny looked alarmed, but as the words began to mean something, the shock turned to a look of pure pain. He looked so hurt, so vulnerable, backing away from her, shaking his head in disbelief, his eyes cast down submissively. He stopped halfway across the room, and looked at her again.  
  
"Devi... I'm so sorry that you still think that I want to hurt you..." he whimpered. Devi met his eyes with a scathing glare, but soon the angry light in her eyes went out. An apologetic sadness crossed her face.  
  
"Johnny, please don't give me those eyes," she pleaded. He had the most expressive eyes of anyone she knew, and the look of pain in his tear-filled eyes tore her heart. She was completely baffled why this man, whom she had been living in fear of for more than a year now, could shake her, fill her with so many emotions, with just a look in his eyes. She remembered the look of pure gratitude when she had asked him out... the shy, hesitant, slightly fearful look when she meant to kiss him... but most of all, the clouded, almost alien-looking eyes full of malignant glee when he drew the knives. Those eyes looked like they had been taken from someone or something else, but incredibly seemed to blend in with the whole of him better than his other eyes. Those eyes sent a shudder of fear and revulsion through her every time she recalled them. But now, simply on the basis of the look his eyes held now, she was ready to forgive and forget it all. What was this guy, anyway? How could he do that? Even back at the bookstore, when she had seen him looking at her longingly, on the verge of tears, it had taken every last ounce of willpower she could gather to turn away. But then the fear was still fresh; now it was just a way of life. She had numbed to it. But now, his eyes had spoken so eloquently, they had accomplished what words could not.  
  
"Please don't cry, Johnny. I didn't mean to yell," she said. Johnny looked at her, hopefully. "I'm not afraid, Nny," she added softly.   
  
"Are you sure? You actually trust me, after what I did? You believe that I won't hurt you now?" he asked, hoping it would be true. Devi smiled, but before she could say anything, her eyes flew open.  
  
"No..." she whispered. "I got rid of you..." she said to nobody in particular. Then she suddenly screamed, "SHUT UP! Just GO AWAY!" Then she just stood there, rigid and tense. 


	5. Sickness Within

"Devi, what is it?" Johnny asked. Devi didn't reply, but Johnny traced her line of sight to a spot underneath her bed. Johnny looked under the bed suspiciously, then lunged with a lightning-fast hand. He drew his hand out slowly, producing a painted dolly with holes for eyes.  
  
"Sickness..." gasped Devi. Johnny turned the doll over in his hands. It bore a resemblance to Devi, with two fuchsia pigtails sticking up. Then, suddenly, to Johnny's surprise, the doll became animated. It turned to Devi, flailing her hands and screaming.  
  
"He's got me, Devi!! Don't let him hurt me!!" Devi reacted by snatching the doll out of Johnny's hand and cradled it in her arms, but looked at it with eyes still snapped open and unblinking. She almost looked like she was in a trance, but with none of the restfulness that is implied when speaking of the usual state of hypnosis.  
  
"Oh, thank you! I was so scared! Can I please have my eyes back, Devi?" asked the doll sweetly. Devi's head jerked upwards in a nod, and her hand moved to her purse. Without fumbling for anything else, Devi's hands closed around two screws at the bottom and withdrew shakily, then opened to present them to the doll. Squealing in glee, the doll snatched one out, drove it into her empty sockets, and twisted it in. Hmmm, thought Johnny. So this one can move freely. Mr. Eff wanted to move, too.. I wonder how she accomplished it.  
  
"Thank you, Devi. I'll forgive that... mutiny of yours..." said the doll, screwing in the other eye, "...if you're good and listen to me." Finished, the doll turned her head towards Johnny. She pointed an accusing finger at the young man, her eyes narrowed with anger, her mouth grinning with malice.  
  
"Devi! That man wants to hurt you. He's lying to you. Tell him to go away! Make him leave! He has no love, no compassion, no pity for anyone, not even himself! He only wants to hurt you. Make him leave, Devi! And if he doesn't want to leave willingly..." said Sickness, hopping down off of Devi's lap and racing to the purse. She rummaged around with her hands, and a wide grin came to her face as her hands closed around something.  
  
"...You can convince him with THIS!" she said, her voice dripping with evil ritcheousness as she withdrew a long, gleaming knife. The dolly ran back to Devi and placed it lovingly in her hand.  
  
"...But I don't want to..." mumbled Devi pathetically, her voice barely audible.  
  
"SILENCE!!" commanded Sickness, and Devi flinched, squeezing her eyes shut in fear. "Do as I tell you, Devi! It's for your own good, even if you can't see that for yourself. Strike, Devi! Kill him!" screamed the doll. Devi's arm raised, and her head turned towards Johnny. She opened her eyes, and they were smouldering unnaturally. The look in Devi's eyes would have been more than enough to paralyze any other person with fear, but Johnny understood this. It was the same look he got whenever his killer instinct was awoken, and Johnny knew that he must not try to run, lest he trigger a predatory response. Instead, as she lunged towards him, he stood his ground and faced her. The knife slammed to a stop just inches away from him, and Devi stared into his eyes, but drew nothing from the solid, fearless look in his eyes. They both stood there, Devi's chest and shoulders heaving up and down with heavy breath, Johnny still in firm control of every inch of his body. Devi's shoulders slumped, and her head hung. She looked at Johnny once, and her eyes held the slightest hint of recognition. Johnny's face softened, knowing he was safe. Then he grinned. Pushing the knife away from his chest with one finger, he turned towards Sickness.  
  
"So, you think it would be that easy to get rid of me?" he asked. Sickness scowled at Johnny. "Well, you have neglected to mention a few things. I find it hard to believe you could have simply not known. First of all, Devi is in no danger whatsoever. The voices that drove me to attack her that first time are gone now." Johnny was smiling, enjoying the fuming doll's anger. "Second, even if Devi were still in any danger, she shouldn't attack me. I'm sure she weighs more than me, but there can be no doubt as to who is stronger. I would rather die than hurt her, but if it had been anyone else, they would die a quick death. You'd be pretty hard-pressed to find somebody with faster reflexes than me in this town. But you know that, of course, so why send Devi to her death?" Johnny finished his question, beaming a mischievous grin at Sickness. Then he scowled, his eyes became hardened, and he lost his good humour. "Gee, it must spoil everything that I'm wise to you. That's the third thing; I've dealt with your kind before, and I've conquered them. They almost won, they were so close, but in the end they lost. I've silenced them, and I'll help Devi do the same to you. But the last thing..." said Johnny, letting a superior grin grew on his face. He was about to go in for the kill mentally. "...the last thing you haven't taken into account is that I'm a waste lock! There's nothing you can do to break me. No matter what you do, I've endured worse, if not done worse. Also, something out there is watching me, taking care of me, and it won't let anything bad happen to me. I can't be caught, I can't be killed, I can't be conquered!" Johnny said, triumphantly. He felt that he had already won.  
  
"No! Shut up!! Devi, look at me!!" screamed Sickness. For a moment Devi was glaring angrily at the doll; Johnny's words had penetrated her head meats, and she was almost in control again, but at Sickness' shrill command, Devi lost her tenuous grip. She turned to Johnny, and in her eyes, he could find no sign of recognition, or sanity, or indeed any thought for that matter. This was manipulation in its highest form. The doll lay limp now, and Johnny guessed that the spirit that the doll embodied had taken Devi. Now an icy shaft of fear raced through Johnny. There was nothing he could do, he couldn't attack Devi, even if she was being controlled by Sickness. This was much different than when Johnny had turned on Devi; even then, he was in control, a thinking, coherent, even eloquent person. But Devi didn't recognize him, she had mentally lost control of everything. Devi lunged at Johnny again, but Johnny had whipped a knife out of his boot and deflected the strike. For a few moments they fought, Devi trying to stab, Johnny trying to defend.  
  
"Tell me, what do you have to gain by killing me?" snarled Johnny.  
  
"Your guide still hovers near you. It must be killed, and the only way to kill it is through you," said Sickness from somewhere.  
  
"Nail-bunny?" asked Johnny incredulously. "He's still around? Why haven't I heard him?" Johnny gasped. He was jarred by that news, and couldn't quite react to the next blow. He dodged the knife, but was caught by Devi's foot swinging up at his face. Spinning around, Johnny fell to the ground, landing in a prone position. He felt Devi's foot on his chest, and a knife at his throat.  
  
"Give me a smile, Johnny," gloated Sickness, manipulating Devi's face to a cruel grimace. "Ear to ear..." she growled. She took the knife and pressed it to his jugular. She was going to sever the vein and bring the knife in an arc to his carotid artery on the other side, but just as the knife broke the skin, it dropped. Devi stood stock still, her eyes wide open, and though her mouth didn't move, Sickness screamed in agony. Devi fell to the floor, gasping for breath. 


	6. The Mission

"Sickness! Listen to me!" called a voice. Nny sat up and looked towards the window, and Todd stood there, holding Shmee. The bear was calling to Sickness.  
  
"You have to stop this now. Get back into your body and listen to me!" he said with enormous authority. In a few moments the doll began to twitch and come to life, and Sickness looked at Shmee, trembling.  
  
"It'll be OK, Sickness. You will soon be in full control of yourself again." He turned to Devi. "Sickness was tainted by evil forces while she was still just a painting on canvas, and was unable to fight it off. It wasn't her fault, Devi. They preyed on her ambitions, fed on her will to become animate. Those were the same evil forces that have silenced Nail-bunny, Johnny. They could find no weakness in him, so they did the next best thing. They made him unable to interfere in their designs. Nail-bunny is still protecting you, though you can't hear him." Johnny nodded, then looked around himself, childishly trying to see his spirit hovering about him. Devi picked up the now-helpless doll, who was crying and sobbing uncontrollably.  
  
"I remember..." she said sadly. "I remember when I first met you... you just wanted out before they could get you. I thought I was crazy..." she said, her mind flooding with memories. Then she took out Sickness' eyes again and put them into a coat pocket, and deposited the doll in her purse. Johnny spoke up then.  
  
"So, what does that make the doughboys? Are they my guides, too?" At this question, Shmee scoffed.  
  
"I should say not. They were never supposed to have come into being. They were extensions of the evil forces that are affecting Nail-bunny and Sickness. They are gone now, thank goodness, but the evil forces are not. Now, that is the reason I have brought you all here now." Johnny and Todd passed expectant glances between each other. They were finally going to learn what Shmee knew.  
  
"Now, firstly, Devi, you are a Luck-drainer. You are supposed to absorb bad luck and convert it into good luck before it builds beyond a manageable level. Unfortunately, due to Sickness'... er... sickness, you actually bring bad luck. You cause bad things to happen to you and those around you. Am I correct?" Shmee asked. Devi nodded her head, trying to repress a snicker. Some of them were quite funny. Heh heh. Smoke bombs. Now, Shmee turned to Johnny.  
  
"Now, Johnny, you are a Waste-lock. You absorb negative energy- 'bad vibes', if you will- and store them up until, when you die, they follow you to the grave. Unfortunately, you were never really suited to the job. It's a testament to your own mental strength, and the work of your guide, that you haven't degenerated into a mindless insanity. But if Nail-bunny hadn't worked so hard, he wouldn't have been strong enough to resist the evil forces. I, however," continued Shmee, "have not come into contact with any of these evil forces. I remain untainted, and hope to keep things that way. That is why you will have to carry out my mission without me." Todd suddenly felt cold and scared. He managed to squeak,  
  
"Why?"   
  
"Because I must not become contaminated. Now, I will tell you your mission. Listen carefully."  
  
Todd, Devi and Johnny sat down, their full attention focused on the stationary teddy bear.  
  
There are evil forces," began Shmee, "and they are getting strong. Feeding off of you in particular, Johnny, or more specifically, feeding through you." Johnny cocked his head at this. "Every time you absorb the ill will of others, they drive you to kill them so that they can relieve you of it. But all of that doesn't matter now. What matters is that they are growing, coming together again, as one. They are on the brink of escaping. Maybe tomorrow, maybe next week..." Here Johnny shook his head.  
  
"No. We have... what time is it? 5 AM? We have 43 hours left until it's free," Johnny said darkly.   
  
"How do you know?" asked Todd.   
  
"It told me," came the reply. Shmee grunted knowingly.   
  
"It wants to taunt you, I suppose. But you must not let it escape. This isn't the first time, but fortunately, when it was released last time, Johnny, you were "dead", so it was released into a void, because at the time your consciousness was nonexistent. It was forced back into its prison, but now it is almost strong enough to escape. And if it does, it will kill off your entire species. In fact, within 24 hours, I'm quite sure that it would have every man, woman and child in this city hunted down and ripped in two. That is where you come in; you must be back at Johnny's house when it emerges, and destroy it while it is still soft and weak. And you are the only ones who can do this. Remember, it is made of the very same things that you have been made to control all your life. Now, that is where your guides' bodies come in. You will have to use them to channel the components of this creature. Now, I cannot show up until the very end, it would be far too risky. But don't worry, I will find a way. Now I must leave. I have some... things to see to. Take care of Todd, Johnny and Devi." With that Shmee went silent. Todd was overcome with a wave of nauseous unease. He had never been away from Shmee for two days since he could remember. He buried his face in the bear and almost cried.  
  
"Please come back, Shmee! Don't leave me..." he pleaded.. Devi didn't particularly enjoy being around most children, but her heart went out to this poor little boy. It was obvious that this bear was her only friend. She put a comforting arm around Todd's shoulder.  
  
"Shmee is your best friend, isn't he?" asked Johnny, mirroring Devi's thoughts. The boy nodded.  
  
"He's the only one in this world who seems to care for me. Even more than my parents," he moped.  
  
"Todd, I'm sure your parents love you and care about you," Devi said, not quite sure she believed it. Todd just shook his head. They cared enough to send me to the funny farm, he thought bitterly. Tactfully trying to evade the subject, Devi looked around, turning to Johnny. "And we care about you too, don't we, Johnny?" she asked.  
  
"That's right, Squee," said Johnny, nodding emphatically. "We're looking out for you, too."  
  
Todd lifted his eyes from the bear. His face radiating gratitude and happiness, he reached out to Devi and gave her a tight hug. He hardly knew her, but this tall, wonderful woman was more "mother" to him than his female biological parent had ever been. Devi returned the hug, and felt a warm, maternal glow for this lonely little boy. She beamed a smile at Johnny, but she saw a strange, strained look on his face. She looked back down, but the smile was gone from her face.  
  
(Meanwhile...)  
  
"Hmmm. Hey, dear, Todd's not in his bed. I can't find him."  
  
"Well, fuck, I'm sure as hell not getting up."  
  
"Oh fine, I'll go to the store then. ...grumble grumble drunk bitch grumble..." 


	7. Under The Stars

"So, what's on your mind?" asked Devi, spotting Johnny sitting on the couch beside the sleeping Todd. Devi had been trying to distance herself from him the whole day, focusing more on Todd, to give herself time to think of how to approach him. But seeing him there, sitting protectively over the boy with that same look on his face...  
  
"You brought back so many memories, Devi... seeing you taking care of Todd today. Memories of my mom and dad..." he said quietly, trying not to disturb the boy's slumber.  
  
"You never did tell me about your parents," Devi said, sitting down beside him. Johnny squeezed his eyes shut, and Devi had the distinct feeling that she wasn't going to hear a happy story.  
  
"They were both killed one night. I don't remember them much, but I have a clear memory of our last night together. There was a riot one night, when I was about seven years old. We lived upstairs from my dad's business, and he was downstairs with a gun, protecting his store. I was afraid, but Mom was humming a song to keep me from crying. I don't remember the words to it, but I remember the tune. Suddenly we heard the window break, and gunshots. He got Dad. Mom heard the man coming up the stairs and she hid me in the other room, she told me I would be safe if I stayed there until I heard police sirens. Then she left to try to get help. But then I heard her screaming, and then a gunshot a few minutes later. Then the man came upstairs- I remember how he looked. Like a fat, dirty pig. He heard the sirens coming, and he ran away. Then I went downstairs and saw Mom- she was all bloody and her clothes were all ripped up. Dad had been shot worse- he was full of holes- but Mom had obviously been raped. I went to the police, but they couldn't do anything, they were too busy beating on random people in the streets. That fucking asshole who killed them... he didn't even want anything from the store..." Johnny said through gritted teeth, choking back a sob as emotions long buried were dredged up. Devi was horrified by his story. She was a sympathetic person, and she reached an arm out to him. Johnny's first impulse was to avoid the touch. He jerked away a bit, but after the initial reaction, he steeled himself to let her make contact. Devi, however, had taken the hint, and drew her hand back without touching.  
  
"I'm... glad I talked to you about this..." he said, turning away. Devi stood up, about to leave.  
  
"Well, it's getting late. We can talk about this more in the morning, if you want..." she whispered. Johnny sat there like a chunk of stone, afraid to talk or do anything lest he turn into a blubbering idiot. Devi walked away, but waited just around the corner, watching him. After a moment of silence, Johnny turned to Todd.  
  
"Don't worry, Squee. I won't lose you or Devi," he murmured softly to the peacefully sleeping child. He took the child in his arms and began rocking side to side, crooning a soft, soothing lullaby. Todd woke up from the sudden motion and looked up at the tear-streaked face. Johnny didn't notice though, he was too lost in thought. The boy said nothing though, sensing that he was more of a comfort to Johnny than the other way around, and simply let himself be rocked. In some way, he knew that he was helping to soothe Johnny's lonely, aching heart. He soon fell asleep again, feeling safe and secure for the first time since he could remember.   
  
Devi, who had been watching the whole time, was completely shocked by this. She had no idea how long Johnny had been without love or companionship, and how much his heart ached for it. Even his attempt on her life was to "immortalize the moment", to capture her forever in her beauty so she would never leave him. She could have appreciated the sentiment, if only he hadn't tried to kill her, but now she saw Johnny for what he was- an achingly lonely person who was reaching out for love. Too bad he can't see it himself, she thought, tiptoeing away to her room.   
  
After a time, Johnny went out onto the balcony and stared up at the stars. He burst into fresh tears, finally able to mourn his parents properly and come to terms with his grief. He buried his head in his hands and cried aloud for the first time since his parents died. He pounded the railing with an angry fist, his wails muffled by his arm. He sat out there in the cold, grieving for his parents for a while. Then more angry howls rent the air as he released all of his anger, sadness, and pent-up emotions he had gathered over the years, and everything was escaping with unstoppabe momentum. After a few last rasping, choking breaths, he gathered himself up and stood shakily for a few moments. Finally, sobbing and hiccoughing, he wiped his eyes and turned to go back inside. He was emotionally drained and tired from his catharsis, and he lay down on a larger couch. His breath slowed down, his red, swollen eyes became heavy, and his head seemed to sink into the pillow. With a last glance at Todd, a soft smile crossed his face and he closed his eyes, drifting into a peaceful sleep. 


	8. Trust

Johnny woke up to the delicious aroma of bacon and hashbrowns cooking. He stood up, and was amazed at the almost physical difference he felt after his release the night before. He didn't realize the burden he had carried all those years until he got rid of it. For the first time, he realized how light his weight of 115 pounds really was. A sizzling sound of frying eggs redirected Johnny's attention to the kitchen, and his growling stomach convinced him to eat. Johnny hadn't eaten anything substantial for days, and he realized with some embarrassment that he was beginning to salivate uncontrollably. He walked off towards the kitchen, and was surprised to find Todd was the mastermind behind it all.  
  
"Wow, Todd! When I was your age I couldn't even cook toast," Johnny remarked. Todd turned to him.  
  
"Oh, good morning, Nny! I made some breakfast for us all," he beamed, glad to help. "My dad's always gone off to work and my mom's never awake in the morning, so I learned to make myself breakfast. But, see, I made some for us all. Do you think Devi likes cheese on her hashbrowns?"  
  
"Cheese?" Johnny asked, surprised. Devi entered the kitchen then, having heard the discussion.  
  
"Yeah, I'd like some cheese. Thanks, Todd!" she said. Johnny stared at her, and she noticed. "Johnny, you mean you've never had cheese on hashbrowns?" she asked. He shook his head.   
  
"Aw, you've been eating it wrong, man!" Todd replied, and passed the plates around. Johnny tried some cheese hashbrowns, and decided that he would henceforth never serve hashbrowns naked again. After finishing the filling, satisfying meal, the three sat down on the couch and turned on the TV. Devi, however, was obviously bothered. Johnny noticed her glancing about, first at Todd, then at Shmee's body, then out the window. After a while Devi got up and silently motioned to Johnny to follow. Johnny followed without a word to Todd, who didn't notice their departure. When they were out of earshot, Devi glanced around, nervously.  
  
"We need to talk," she said, quietly but urgently. Johnny nodded, waiting for her to continue. "Johnny..." she began, "... I'm really worried. About tonight. And not just for myself, but for Todd. And you, too, but you know what you're doing, I hope. But Todd's just a kid, Nny. I don't want him to get hurt..." she said.   
  
"I'm not quite sure I know what I'm doing, either. I've made a mess of things so far, but all I can do is hope that it all goes well. As for Todd, well, if anyone knows what's going on, Todd does. And don't worry, we won't let him get hurt," he said, determined and serious. Devi nodded, but her eyes were still full of fear.  
  
"I'm scared... I keep having these dreams about you and your house... the first time I woke up screaming..." she whined, on the verge of breaking down. Johnny looked at her sympathetically, but didn't extend any comforting arm or offer a shoulder to lean on. Devi waited for it, expected it, but it didn't come. Johnny was almost conditioned to avoid any contact with people. He could not bring himself to touch another human, even if it was the one woman he had ever had any feelings for. Devi remembered how he had shied away, stiffened at her attempt to put her arm around him, and realized that he had never allowed her to touch him. Even that kiss, he had been the one to initiate it. She felt saddened by this- she wasn't the most tactile person, but it spoke of a lack of trust or affection. She was so close, that time with him at his place...  
  
"Devi," said Johnny at length, "I realize that you're still a bit... nervous having me around, I can sense it. But you're going to have to trust me tonight. At least tell me you'll try to, despite... what happened," he asked earnestly. Devi looked into his eyes, nodding her head lightly.  
  
But will you trust me, Johnny? Devi thought. Will you ever trust anyone? Can you change what your past has made you? There's so much more to you than the sweet, intelligent guy who used to talk to me at the bookstore. God, I miss that. The one I knew as Nny. I wonder if you'll ever let anyone touch you, or get close to you. If you'll let me... It'll be up to you, though. I'll let you make the first move. 


	9. Squeak!

It was late in the afternoon when Todd woke up. He hadn't realized when he fell asleep on the couch, but he felt rested and renewed. He glanced around himself, looking for Johnny and Devi, but they were not in sight. He jumped off of the couch and ran around random rooms, searching for them, but they weren't there. He began to feel a nervous pit in his stomach, afraid that they had abandoned him, but a sound of voices and keys on the other side of the door reassured him that they were returning. They came in.  
  
"Hey, Todd. We didn't want to wake you, so we went to get dinner," Devi called, presenting a Taco Tots meal from Taco Smell to Todd. Todd ate, but he had no appreciation for the taco goodness.  
  
"I had the dream again," he said, immediately catching Johnny and Devi's attention. "I remember what happened in the end... I heard a loud, loud noise in my dream, but I woke up and I think it was just a car horn or something," he said. Johnny grunted understandingly.  
  
"Yeah, I hate that. Just like in high school, when my fooking alarm clock would go off and I'd hear it in my dreams and think 'hey, that's my alarm clock, I have to wake up now,' and poof!" said Johnny.  
  
"Yeah, that's probably what it was," said Todd, though he was still doubtful. It had sounded so surreal...  
  
As the sun set over the land to the West, Johnny, Devi and Todd all stood on the balcony, watching the moon come up and the stars appear. Each was lost in their own thoughts. Johnny was thinking about how this might be the last time he would ever see the night sky, Devi was thinking about Johnny and the conversation she had with him over dinner- he was just as clever, as deep, as thoughtful as ever- and wondering about his past, and if they would have a future. Todd, however, was simply admiring the huge, pale full moon, wondering about how it came into being, and why one face was constantly turned towards its earthly mother. Johnny looked at his watch. Eight twenty-seven. Fook, time goes by so fast sometimes...  
  
"Well guys, we have three and a half hours. We should probably go soon," he announced. Todd and Devi nodded, and they prepared themselves to go. As they were leaving Devi's apartment, the three heard a sudden high-pitched squeaky sound, and Devi froze in horror. "No... Not that... Anything but that!!" she cried, glancing around her. The noise happened again, and Devi fell to her knees, her hands over her ears, her eyes shut tight. "NOOOOOOOOOOO!!!" she yelled. Johnny glanced around nervously, trying to figure what was scaring Devi so. He heard footsteps out in the hallway, punctuated by the strange squeaking sounds. Johnny reached for his knife as the footsteps came closer and closer... 


	10. Shmee's New Friend

"DEVEEEEEEEE!!!" yelled Tenna as she poked her head into the door. Devi stood up.   
  
"Sweet angry Jeezus, woman!! Will you stop squeaking that goddamned chew toy what I hate so?!" Devi almost screamed at the black woman holding the troll-like squeaky toy which was painted to look like a skeleton.   
  
"Nice to see you too," pouted Tenna. Suddenly Tenna caught sight of Shmee, and squealed. "Oh, such a cute teddy bear! What's his name?" she said, and Todd spoke up.   
  
"That's Shmee," he said, pointing to the teddy. Tenna raced over and grabbed him up.  
  
"Awwwwwww, he's so soft and fuzzy! Hey, it looks like you guys are going out. Can I babysit Shmee, little boy who owns the aforementioned bear? Just till you get back?" she asked. Todd looked at Johnny, then at Devi. Devi had composed herself and gotten up.  
  
"She's harmless, Todd. You can let her, if you want to," she said. Todd nodded at Tenna.  
  
"Yay!!" squealed Tenna. "We're going to have so much crunchy-on-the-outside, nougat-on-the-inside, double dipped, candy-coated FUN!! Bye, everyone! We're off to see the Wizard! Tra la la la la la la la la la la la la la la..." sang Tenna, squeaking Spooky all the while, skipping off down the hallway. Devi heaved a sigh of relief that the hyper bundle of eccentric happiness had left. She'd just been getting strange(er) lately. Johnny's eyes followed Tenna.  
  
"Wow! She's almost like a real-life Happy Noodle Boy, except she really IS happy!" he gasped in amazement. Devi giggled, having read a Happy Noodle Boy comic a homeless insane man had duct-taped to the ass of an unconscious junkie. Johnny, of course, was the genius (?) behind the park-dwelling, anemic, babbling stick-figure whose favorite pastime was to stand on a soapbox and spout inane nonsense and strange accusations at innocent passers-by. This resulted in him ultimately getting himself shot in the head, only to reappear later.  
  
"We should go now, guys. We have to do what Shmee told us," said Todd, and broke Johnny and Devi out of their reveries. Reluctantly, Johnny and Devi grabbed Nail-bunny and Sickness. Devi put Sickness' eyes back in, knowing she was in no danger from the dolly, and they piled into Johnny's car and drove off into the night. 


	11. The 11th Hour

About half an hour later they arrived at Johnny's house. From the outside, it appeared old and falling apart. It had been started many years before, but for some reason it was never finished. The carpenters had finished the bottom level and put the floor of the second story on top, but got no further than that. The most popular explanation was that the prospective inhabitant had run out of money and couldn't afford to have it finished. However, there were rumors that money wasn't the reason, that something had happened to the buyer and some of the workers. Whatever the reason, Johnny had come to live there years ago, furnishing it with couches, chairs and tables picked up off the side of the road. However, only Johnny could have been thrilled by what he had found while cleaning out a back room. Moving apart a particularly loose board, he found a secret passage leading to a whole new level below. He found that there were many more levels below this, each with various torture devices and instruments of death. It had reinforced his decision to live there, Johnny having had his homicidal tendencies well established by then. How they had gotten there, Johnny didn't know, but he wasn't complaining, heh heh heh.   
  
"Alright everyone, we're here," announced Johnny as they all piled out of his grey car. "According to my watch, the thing should be out in about 3 hours." For a while they stood in front of the house, sizing it up, psyching themselves up, and finally they went inside. Johnny was taken by surprise by the sudden attack of chlaustrophobia he experienced as he walked in, and it was all he could do not to bolt for the door or vomit. The dreams were so vivid, he seemed to remember them even better than events that happened in real life. Devi saw his brow bead with sweat, his jaw lock, and his temples begin pounding. She tried to calm him, but he didn't hear. All he heard was a deep, booming voice in his head:  
  
Three hours, Johnny, and you're walking right into it.   
  
He started hyperventilating and almost ran, but in the midst of the voice's loud, resonating laughter, Johnny discerned a small, familiar voice in his mind:  
  
Don't give in, Johnny. You have to be brave. For Devi, for Todd, for everyone.  
  
"Nail-bunny?" Johnny whispered, and the voice became louder until it was no longer only in his head. Johnny pulled the rabbit's body out of his pocket and examined it.  
  
"Yes, Nny. I'm back- for the time being. After this, I'll be gone." Johnny's smile vanished   
  
"But... you just got back! I don't want to lose you again!" Johnny began pleading desperately.  
  
"It'll be ok, Nny. My voice will rejoin you, so you'll never be without me. I was originally part of you," the rabbit's voice explained. Johnny bowed his head sadly, but nodded, accepting what he was being told. Suddenly, Devi looked down into her purse.  
  
"Does that mean Sickness is better now, too?" she asked, and a small voice answered back.   
  
"Well, why don't you see for yourself?" Sickness replied, and Devi took her from the purse. She wasn't moving around by herself anymore, so she was again wholly part of Devi.  
  
"I'm back to my old, IMMOBILE self. This sucks like nobody's business. But I do admit, it is good to be in control again," said the doll. Devi spoke up again.  
  
"Nail-bunny says that he will become part of Johnny again after this. Does that mean that you will be part of me again, too?" she asked.   
  
"I suppose so," said the doll painfully. "I would much rather be out here, but you'd really be much better off with me inside of you again." Devi nodded her head, staring at the doll.   
  
Throughout all of this, Todd had been absorbing everything, and he guessed that Shmee would go away if the thing was defeated. I don't want Shmee to leave... I'd be so lonely... There has to be some way... I don't care what it takes, but they can't make Shmee go away. With a look of hard resolution, Todd glanced at Johnny and Devi, who took no notice of it. I'm sorry, guys, but I've made up my mind. I don't care what it takes.  
  
The look of calm acceptance on Todd's face as the clock struck midnight was strange. Johnny was puzzled; he had expected Todd to panic and start running around aimlessly, going "Squeeeeeeeeee!!!" all the while. In fact, Johnny appeared more scared than the boy. Devi, however, looked scared enough for both of them. Johnny gave a reassuring glance to her. However, that glance never had the desired effect, as the house began trembling. At first it was small, barely perceptible, but it grew, until it felt like an earthquake. Todd managed to calmly keep his feet, while Johnny and Devi fought to stay upright and failed. They fell, and it was lucky that they did. At that very moment, the wall seemed to explode, sending wooden planks and splinters flying through the air. They sailed over the unflinching Todd, missing by mere inches. As Johnny and Devi struggled up, Todd spoke in a tightly controlled voice:   
  
"Guys, there it is." 


	12. The Concept Of Freedom

Johnny's eyes grew even wider until the white sclera dominated his grayish-blue irises as he gazed up at the monster looming above him. He had to swallow hard and clench his teeth to avoid getting sick with fear and revulsion. The creature was huge and appeared to be mostly tentacles radiating outwards from a central mass of flesh. Eight beady eyes stared at them, and a long, jutting, serrated beak snapped a couple of times as it stared at its prey. Then, to Johnny's amazement, it began speaking, clicking its jaws with every syllable.   
  
"I thank you, slave, for your years of loyal servitude," it hissed, addressing Johnny. "Unfortunately, you have been derelict in your duties lately. In fact, it would seem you have decided that you would be better off without me, that you have more important things to do. Such as fight for your worthless concept of freedom."  
  
"Damn straight," snarled Johnny defensively, reaching for the knife he always kept on him. "Freedom is a foreign concept to me, but if you're the one impeding it, you'll find that we think it's a concept worth fighting for." The creature manipulated what it had for face into something that approximated a grin.  
  
"Fool," it said. "You are the slave, and I am your master. I would have you do nothing else but serve my purpose. You have been disobedient, and it is time to face the consequences." With this the monster ceased speaking, and it whipped out a lightning-quick tendril towards Johnny. Johnny had anticipated this, and bringing his knife in a fast arc, lobbed off the tentacle. The creature roared in pain, withdrawing the stub. It followed it with ten more, and although Johnny was fast, he couldn't guard against them all. They snaked around his arm and leg and lifted him clean off his feet. It whipped him back and forth and let go, tossing him against a far wall. He hit and, with a sickening thud, crumpled in a heap on the ground.  
  
"Johnny!" screamed Devi. She started to run to him, but a grasping feeler wrapped around her ankle. It tripped her, and dragged her back towards its main body. She clawed at the floor in vain, and she remembered Todd. She turned to him, fighting for breath to speak.  
  
"Todd! Help Johnny!" She screamed, but Todd's eyes just glazed over and turned away. It was going accordingly to his plan. After all, they weren't more important to him than Shmee, were they? He didn't want it to happen, they were so nice to him, but if it had to be like this... Johnny regained consciousness, picked himself up, and stumbled towards Devi. He pulled out a knife and flailed at the tentacle with it, severing it. Devi unwrapped it from her ankle.   
  
"Are you ok?" he asked, helping her up. Devi nodded, and smiled at him. He's holding me... Johnny glanced over Devi's shoulder and, without missing a beat, grabbed them tightly. He spun her around, facing his back to the monster, and Devi could see many tentacles streaming towards them. They were curled up like fists, but moving faster than a punch could be thrown. Shielding Devi with his body, Johnny absorbed the blow. Gritting his teeth, Johnny crumpled under the impact, but Devi held on tight. Johnny had expected to fall, but didn't.   
  
"Devi..." Johnny gasped. The two stared at each other for a while, but Johnny spoke again. "Get out Sickness!" Johnny commanded, feeling tentacles constricting his feet, arms, waist and neck. Fighting to hold on, Devi tried to keep the creature from tearing Johnny away from her, but it was no use. It shook her free, then raised Johnny high into the air. It wasn't going to throw him this time, but instead it was going to rip him in half. However, it never got to. Screaming in pain, the creature dropped Johnny, who spun around to land on his feet. He turned to face Devi, who was holding Sickness out in front of her like a weapon. Devi was glaring angrily at the monster, who was screaming and shedding limbs that turned to dust.  
  
"Eat this, bastard!" she yelled triumphantly. The creature had barely enough time to shake itself off before it fell down, howling, again. Johnny, holding Nail-bunny in the same manner, was channeling its energy away too, and it lost even more limbs and strength. It was losing now. Johnny lifted up a plank and strode towards the prone creature. He raised the plank up, aiming for one of the larger eyes. He judged the distance as he talked through clenched teeth.  
  
"So you are the master? Yet you needed me to supply you with blood to grow. You couldn't do it yourself. And still you're too weak to kill us. Tell me, who is the master now?" He raised the plank even higher, aiming for the place that he knew was the most painful, but he was knocked off balance by a sideswipe from a board and fell off to the side. Johnny turned around, reaching for a knife to strike at whatever had hit him, but he never expected to see...  
  
"Todd!" gasped Johnny, looking at the trembling boy holding a large, long board. 


	13. The Cavalry

"No! I can't let you kill it! You can't make Shmee go away!" he yelled angrily. Johnny glared at the boy, but was caught up again before he could speak. The creature grabbed Devi too.   
  
"Ahhh! Such clarity of mind. You know your master. You alone will be spared," it hissed. "Friendship, loyalty, love.... you won't miss those. They mean so little to you as it is." Suddenly Todd grew cold. He had just betrayed the two people who were kindest to him. Why? For the sake of a voice in his head. But he didn't want Shmee to leave. Todd was torn. But he knew that it was too late, so he resigned himself to his fate. The best he could do was to turn around and try not to acknowledge the deaths of Johnny and Devi. He trudged slowly towards the door, too numb to cry. He felt like he was a dead thing walking. He wished he could block out the sounds of them yelling and cursing. Todd looked up from his feet at the door, but he heard something approaching. The door swung open and in charged Tenna.   
  
"Hi guys! This teddy can talk!" she yelled up at the two dangling humans, holding Shmee out. "Come down here and see! It's amazing!" Todd heard Shmee talking to Tenna.   
  
"Tenna, you can show them later. First, you have to squeak Spooky," the bear ordered. Tenna nodded, and pulled Spooky out of her pocket. Even in this life-threatening situation, Devi's all-consuming hatred of Spooky surfaced, and she began thrashing around wildly.  
  
"NOOOOOOO!!! I DON'T NEED TO DIE BECAUSE I'M ALREADY IN HELL!!" she screamed. Johnny, despite his impending doom, couldn't help but snicker under his breath. Tenna raised Spooky in front of her, towards the monster, but on her face was a look of determination and focus, rather than her usual mindless grin. She squeezed the toy tightly.  
  
SQUOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOONK!!!!!!!!  
  
It sounded more like a foghorn and it shook the house to its core, and everybody screamed in pain, covering their ears. The creature, however, was the worst off. It flailed wildly, and limbs sprayed off of it like a dog shaking off water. It was now immobile. Todd took Shmee from Tenna and cradled him in his arms. The teddy bear spoke to Todd in a soft, gentle voice. "Alright, Todd. You know what you have to do now. We must finish it off together." Todd squeezed the bear to himself tightly, shaking his head defiantly.  
  
"I don't want to..." he whined. Johnny strode up to Todd angrily, but his voice was neutral.   
  
"Todd, you have to. That was a very selfish thing you did, taking it upon yourself to decide the fate of billions of people. Now I'm not exactly fond of people, but even I wouldn't want the whole human race to die. Not only that, but you were willing to have me and Devi killed. Now you have a chance to make it up, if you can do this one thing." Johnny turned away at this, and moved back beside Devi. He held himself in check, trying not to show emotion. He had never had reason to be strict with Todd, and it hurt Johnny more than he let on. He hadn't missed Todd's fear-stricken eyes, gazing up at him in terror. Todd was now hurt and more than a little afraid of him. He was no longer Nny, but the Scary Neighbour Man again.  
  
"He's just a boy, Nny. Don't you think that was a bit too harsh?" asked Devi.   
  
"Was it really, Devi?" countered Johnny, fighting to control his internal turmoil. He was aware of Todd's conflict. The poor boy not only faced the prospect of losing his lifelong companion, but now he was close to losing Johnny's acceptance and approval. He wasn't exactly a model citizen, but he was someone Todd looked up to, a sort of father figure. And Johnny knew this. But there were some things that were totally unacceptable.   
  
"Ok, Nny. I'll do it," Todd managed weakly. "... Are you still... my friend?" he whimpered. Johnny's only response was to smile approvingly. Todd smiled broadly, glad he still had the strange man's approval. Johnny ruffled up Todd's hair, and Todd stared up at him, his eyes shining with adoration.   
  
"Alright, Squeegee. Go for it," Johnny said encouragingly, and Todd picked up Shmee.   
  
"Don't worry, Todd. I'll always be a part of you. If you need me, just look inside yourself," the bear said warmly, and after a final hug, Todd held the bear out towards the creature. Invisible wisps of energy coursed from the diminished monster to the bear, and the creature howled feebly, then grew silent. It began crumbling, turning to dust, until at last, nothing remained. Todd looked at the bear's eyes, glazed-over and dead, and sighed deeply. He lifted his head, mustering what dignity he could, and said with finality,  
  
"It's over." 


	14. Denouement

"Well done," said a deep voice coming from behind the group. They all turned around.  
  
"Hey! Senor Diablo!" called Johnny, recognizing the rather churlish King of Darkness.  
  
"Ah, good. You remember. Hey, Pepito, isn't this your little friend?" asked Senor Diablo, and his son, a boy Todd's age but a bit taller, stepped forward. He had evil eyes and the beginnings of his father's curling ram's-horns sprouting on his head. He recognized Todd.  
  
"Hey, amigo! Thanks for catching Beto for us. We had no idea where he got to, but it turns out he was right here all along. Funny, no?" he said casually. Johnny didn't think so, though. "That guy's always getting out. We have to watch him more, don't we, Dad? It would be such a pain if he would have eaten everybody." Senor Diablo nodded absently.  
  
"Yes, that would be messy. But, now, on a more serious note. You really could have picked a better place to live, Johnny. This house, or more correctly, the ground on which it was built, is a beacon for evil forces. That's why Beto came here. I'm sorry, Johnny, but this house must be burnt. I suggest you take everything you need and run. You have five minutes. After that, I must destroy your house and find four other people to take over your special tasks."   
  
"Four? But there's only the three of us," Squee said, poining first to himself, then to Johnny, then to Devi. Senor Diablo smiled, but shook his head.  
  
"Tenna here is a Mood Shield. Normally, she would radiate happiness to all those around her, protecting them, calming and soothing them. Unfortunately, it has been turned inward. She absorbs positive emotions from others and she only causes irritation or despair. She is numb to anger, fear... anything except happiness. Her doll, Spooky, causes her to be perpetually happy, filling her with more endorphins each time she squeaks him. Unfortunately, the side effect is that she squeaks him over and over and over, until those around her just want to BASH HER HEAD IN," Senor Diablo explained, and Devi nodded her head emphatically, as if she quite agreed with him.  
  
"Why didn't she just come with us in the first place? I think that was cutting it a bit close there," Johnny snorted indignantly.  
  
"It was critical that Tenna not show up with Shmee or Spooky until the very end. It's quite complicated, but the concept here was... I suppose like pulling the goalie in hockey, in a way. Shmee couldn't even tell you about her because Beto can read minds. He couldn't know that Tenna was coming. Now I must concentrate. Get your stuff and leave," ordered Senor Diablo. Johnny told Devi, Tenna and Todd to get out, and he grabbed his meager money, some unfinished Happy Noodle Boy comics, and as many bags of cheese nubs as he could carry. No sooner had he got out when his house began to burn. Inside he heard Pepito's voice, full of admiration.  
  
"That is so cool, Dad. I want to be just like you when I grow up." 


	15. Spring

It was a few days after the incident. Johnny had been staying at Todd's at night, but was often gone during the day. He had noticed that people no longer commented gratuitously on his appearance, except to compliment his boots and ask where he got them. Not being a waste-lock anymore, he no longer attracted their ill will. He had even run into Devi once or twice since the battle, and she was much calmer and seemed to trust him, which is to say she didn't react to him with a kick to the jaw and/or fleeing for her life. They had talked for a while, but they were both busy and in a rush. Devi had gotten her job back at the bookstore, and reported that Tenna was now emotionally balanced and stable. Best of all, she now rarely squeaked Spooky. Devi had even invited Johnny to stop by her place sometime after work. But at this particular moment, Johnny was talking to Todd. They were on the front steps of his house, when a car pulled into the driveway.  
  
"I have to go back to my worker's place today," Todd said. Johnny nodded.  
  
"Do you like it there?" he asked. Todd thought for a moment.  
  
"It's not so bad. There's nothing really wrong with me, but they still want to keep an eye on me. I still have to go to school, but they're really nice to me. I get food, TV, and I can write all the stories I want."  
  
"Bet you have a story to tell them now, eh?" said Johnny, and Todd laughed.  
  
"They wouldn't believe me if I told them," he said, shaking his head.  
  
"Well, maybe you'd get to live there longer if you told them," Johnny joked, and they both laughed at it. Todd's worker motioned to him, and Todd picked up his backpack and put it into the car.  
  
"Well, I gotta go now. Drop by sometime, Nny," Todd asked, buckling himself in.  
  
"I will, Squee. Bye!" he called, waving as the car drove away. Todd waved back, and they continued waving until the car rounded a corner and vanished out of sight. Nice kid, thought Johnny. I'm sure going to miss him right next door. But it's better this way.  
  
Johnny turned around, whistling along with his diskman, as he walked down the street. Remembering the original purpose for his walk, he headed towards the shops downtown. There was a really nice art supply shop he knew of, and they had some brushes that Devi was looking at the other day. Nobody else Johnny knew could paint like Devi could. It was such a nice day, though, Johnny decided to dawdle a bit on the way back. Taking his time, Johnny noted the birds, the sky, the sun, drinking in every detail. Who knew a spring day in the city could be this nice? Suddenly, Johnny noticed Devi's car going into the underground parking lot. Smiling, Johnny ran off to beat her to her apartment. It was just such a good day for him.  
  
And, for the first time in his life, things looked like they could only get better. 


End file.
